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Anyone who reads our monitor reviews regularly will know that usually you have two choices; either you get a screen sporting a ‘budget’ TN panel with mediocre viewing angles and lacking ergonomic adjustability, or pay significantly more for a far superior PVA or IPS-based display that’s actually usable for colour-intensive work. However, with its new Professional F-series range, Samsung aims to give you the best of both worlds. Sporting brand new Samsung 'cPVA' panels (Samsung won't explain what the 'c' stands for, claiming it's an internal reference), both of these fully adjustable, business-styled monitors purportedly offer impressive 178 degree viewing angles, incredible contrast and accurate colours, all for a price that wouldn’t look out of place on an upmarket TN.

We broke the news on this range in May of last year and were pretty excited. It's taken a little longer than expected to get one in for review though and in the process the Navy moniker has apparently been dropped.
Unfortunately we’re not looking at the Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) 23in F2380 but its smaller cousin, the 1,600 x 900 F2080. However, aside from the lower resolution and of course smaller size, there’s very little reason for complaint – especially since this piece of high-end hardware can be yours for a mere £173!

From the moment you take the F2080 out of its box it’s obvious that you’re dealing with a display that’s on a different level to most. The monitor arrives in two parts which are easy to assemble. Just clip in the base and tighten the thumb-ring screw, and you’re good to go. Both the base and chassis are constructed using durable, matte and slightly textured plastic that obviously eliminates distracting reflections and unsightly fingerprints. The monitor’s neck, meanwhile, is made of metal, lending excellent durability.
As already mentioned, the Professional F-series are as adjustable as you could wish. The F2080 is height adjustable up to 20cm off your desk, tilts about 30 degrees (five forward and 25 back), swivels by around 45 degrees to the left and to the right, and of course pivots too. All these adjustments are so smooth and easy that you can make them with one hand, and our only niggle is that the screen does tend to wobble when making them.

In terms of style, the F2080 comes across as industrial yet desirable. The shallow, square base matches the main chassis perfectly, and its sleek looks are helped by a thin 15mm all-round bezel which makes it great for multi-monitor setups. At the display’s back, hidden under a clip-on panel, you’ll find VESA mounts for both 100 x 100 and 200 x 100 standards. This offers great flexibility for attaching wall-mounts, arms and other accessories.